Monday, April 21

Governor Matt Blunt to Discuss Death Penalty Changes Today

Missouri Governor Matt Blunt is scheduled to speak on the changes he wants in the death penalty this morning at 10:00 at the Greene County courthouse in Springfield. The changes would include the death penalty for the rape of a child under the age of 12.Missouri would join 5 other states if the law should be passed.

Critics of such a law says that it's a bad idea, stating that sex offenders would be more likely to kill their victims. They also believe that in many instances the child knows the offender and putting the offender to death could cause the child to be further traumatized or causing the child to keep quiet about the offense when it involves a family member for fear of what might happen to them.

In 1977 the Supreme Court ruled that no one could be put to death for rape of an adult it did not however address the issue of raping a child.

Two men are currently on death row in Louisiana for the rape of a child in which the law allows for the death penalty for the rape of a child under the age of 12.

Patrick Kennedy was convicted of raping his 8 year old step daughter and the other man Richard Davis was convicted of repeatedly raping a 5-year-old girl that he and his girlfriend were babysitting.The U.S. Supreme Court is currently trying to decide if the Louisiana law is constitutional.